A Tennessee teen girl claimed she stormed onto a football field and tackled a middle school player during a game to protect her younger brother from alleged abuse.
Addison Hunnicutt, 16, cried foul against a South Middle School player who allegedly grabbed her brother’s face mask and spun him around several times during a game against Cornersville Middle School in Winchester, Tenn., Tuesday night.
Hunnicutt became fed up with the apparent abuse when her sibling was struck in the ribs, prompting her on-field dash.
“That’s when I started to be like, no, I’m done watching this,” she told WTVF on Thursday.
“I wasn’t going after this kid just to go after him,” she added. “That wasn’t my intention at all. Seeing what they were doing to him and no one stopping it, that kind of made me the last choice. Somebody has to stop this.”
Hunnicutt broke out onto the field of Franklin County High School and charged at the 13-year-old player, throwing him to the ground twice before field officials and coaches could grab the invader.
The teen’s mother condemned her daughter’s actions but said the physical plays that her son was involved in were more than football-related.
“I made sure she understood quickly that her behavior, that was inappropriate, and you should not have jumped over the fence,” Elizabeth Chumbley told the outlet.
“I’m seeing my son on the ground being attacked,” she said. “This wasn’t just a football play. This is him on the ground being physically attacked by this other player.”
The father of the boy who was tackled praised his son’s restraint for not attacking Hunnicutt after the alleged attack.
“I was at the game. I greeted my son afterward, and even in that moment, his first response was, ‘She better be glad she’s a girl.’ That alone says a lot about his character. He had every reason to be angry, yet he still showed restraint,” Brandon Taylor wrote on Facebook.
“My son is a true gentleman, and he did not deserve to be tackled, pushed, or humiliated on the field. He is a 13-year-old child, and I will always stand up for him and protect him,” Taylor added.
Hunnicutt was removed from the field and later charged with assault and disorderly conduct by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
She was also given a lifetime ban from Franklin County Schools properties.
The protective sister was also told she was not allowed to attend any more Cornerville Middle School games, home or away.
